President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned what he called “the heinous murder” of Adamawa State politician, Hon. Ahmed Gulak, in Owerri, Imo State capital, by yet-to-be identified gunmen on Sunday.
He vowed that the Federal Government would spare no efforts in bringing the killers of Gulak, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, to justice. Buhari expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased, the people and government of Adamawa State as well as his friends and associates all over the country.
Gulak, who was killed on his way to Sam Mbakwe International Airport to catch a flight to Abuja, was said to be a consultant to the Constitution Review Committee whose assignment to Owerri ended last Thursday after a two-day public hearing.
Gulak conducted the last gubernatorial primaries in Imo State in 2019 where Senator Hope Uzodimma emerged as the candidate of the APC. Uzodimma contested against Mr. Uche Nwosu, a son-in-law of the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
However, Gulak, who chaired the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee in Imo State, refused to sign an alleged forged primary election result, which declared Nwosu the winner of the APC governorship primary. In the said result sheet, Uzodimma was said to have scored 9, 159 votes; while Nwosu got 455,655 votes. Gulak was alleged to have secretly returned to Abuja and claimed that he narrowly escaped being kidnapped in Imo State.
He told journalists that he and other committee members conducted a peaceful exercise, which produced Uzodimma as the party’s standard bearer for the 2019 governorship election for Imo State.
He said Uzodinma won after securing “423,895 votes to defeat eight other aspirants, including Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son in-law, Uche Nwosu.”
Gulak alleged that about nine out of the 12-member committee were “kidnapped,” by persons he described as “agents of the governor” who were led by a team of policemen to the hotel where the committee members were lodged.
He alleged that he sneaked out of Owerri “under the cover of darkness at about 4:00 a.m” to make his way to Abuja.
Confirming the murder of the APC chieftaincy, the police, in a statement, said: “On the 30/5/2021, at about 07:20hours, armed bandits intercepted and attacked a Toyota Camry cab carrying Ahmed Gulak and two others who were on their way to Sam Mbakwe Airport to catch a flight.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Bala Elkana, a Superintendent of Police, said in the statement that Gulak left his room at Protea Hotel without informing the police or sister agencies in view of the fragile security situation in the South-east and Imo State in particular.
“He left without any security escorts and while the cab driver took irregular route to the airport, six armed bandits who rode in a Toyota Sienna intercepted, identified and shot at Ahmed Gulak at around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area close to the Airport.
“The Commissioner of Police Imo State, CP Abutu Yaro, has directed a discreet investigation into the matter as Tactical and Special Forces have been deployed to cordon the area and arrest perpetrators,” he added.
Reacting to the murder, former President Goodluck Jonathan described Gulak’s death as a painful loss, noting that the deceased was a loyal public servant and dedicated patriot.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Police Command also yesterday said its personnel had killed the suspected killers of Gulak. Elkana, in another statement, said rifles, pistol and ammunition were recovered from the suspects. He added that the vehicles the slain hoodlums used in killing the former presidential aide were also recovered. He stated that the operatives overpowered the gunmen during the gun duel, adding that the two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) used during the operation were riddled with bullets.
The statement reads: “On 30th May, 2021, following distress received by the command on the gruesome murder of Ahmed Gulak, Police Special Forces, made up of Intelligence Response Team, Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Tactical Units from the command, were deployed in the scene at Obiangwu Junction at Ngor Okpala LGA of Imo State. The teams were given a clear instruction to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the act with a view to bringing them to justice.
“Eyewitness account, especially the account given by the driver of the vehicle that was conveying Ahmed Gulak to the airport before the attack, gave a vivid description of the assailants and the vehicles they used in carrying out the attack.
“The assailants were said to have used a Toyota Camry 2005 model with silver colour; Toyota Sienna 1998 Model with golden colour; Toyota Hilux with white colour; and a Lexus RX 330 with golden Colour. (Registration numbers are withheld for security reasons).
“Having established the identity of the assailants and the description of the vehicles used in carrying out the attack, the teams further got details of the direction the hoodlums have taken.
“With further leads, the team was able to establish the location of suspects. The suspects were rounded up at Afor Enyiogugu junction in Aboh-Mbaise Local Government Area. The hoodlums were met distributing onions to locals from a trailer they confiscated. The trailer was loaded with onions from the Northern region of Nigeria.
“On sighting the police, the hoodlums providing security coverage to those sharing the onions opened fire on the police teams. The gallant and battle-ready police officers swiftly returned the fire. The six hoodlums who carried out the killings and four other members of their gang were fatally injured. Three out of the four vehicles used in attacking Gulak were recovered.
“Three AK-47 rifles, one pistol, five AK- 47 magazines with ninety two rounds of live ammunition and criminal charms were recovered. During the encounter, two of the police armoured personnel carriers were riddled with bullets but survived the gun battle.”